From Enemy to Brethren
by Oxymoronic Writer
Summary: Bethany learns that there's more to a certain disgusting mutant pesticide than she thought. One of my best stories, please review!
1. In Which I Meet An Enemy

From Enemy to Brethren

Chapter 1

_In Which I Meet An Enemy_

I was on my way to school with my younger sister Mimi when he showed up. Mimi and I lived in the meadowland of Mystery Island and our path to school took us through an old jungle path. Usually our thirty minute stroll was pleasant and fun, but that was before _he _came along.

We were discussing math class and how Mimi's teacher was such a pushover, when Mimi gave a sharp cry and skidded backwards a few inches, as if someone had pulled the baby Xweetok's tail. We both whipped around to look back.

Standing a few feet behind us and grinning maliciously was a mutant Xweetok. I stared at it in horror, mentally comparing it's sickening appearance to my own. As a striped Xweetok, seeing one of my species as a ghastly mutant offended me deeply. It still had Mimi's tail in it's disgusting furless forepaw.

"Hey," he said, his high nasal voice revealing his gender, "Watcha talking 'bout?"

Mimi jerked her tail out of his grip and glared at him, "It's none of your business," she answered icily, speaking boldly for a seven-year-old, "Come on Bethany."

I nodded in agreement and we continued down the path swishing our tails indignantly. I expected the mutant to slink off, but to my annoyance he kept following us. At first we ignored him, hoping he'd eventually leave us alone. But then he started throwing pebbles at us, and laughing every time we stumbled. When he pulled Mimi's tail a second time, I lost all patience.

"Go ahead and run the rest of the way," I urged Mimi as she massaged her tail meaningfully, "I'll get rid of him."

She gave me a grateful smile and skipped down the path till she was out of sight. I turned to the mutant.

"Look," I said slowly and carefully, making my words as clear as possible for the parasite, "Leave, us, alone. If you don't stop pestering us I swear I will…"

"What?" he interrupted with a sneer, "Beat me up?"

"Maybe,"

"Ha! You nothin but a snooty. Snootystripe! Snootystripe!" he crowed, showing me sharp yellow teeth.

His voice, not to mention his grammar, was unbearable. I longed to slug him. Yet I still had a tint of patience. I began to turn away, purposefully flicking my tail past his face. At that he grabbed my tail, running his grubby naked claws through my silky clean fur.

That did it.

I kicked and shoved him away, but he only fought back, grabbing at my mane and fur. I could smell his hot putrid breath as he chuckled with glee, "Your fur is soft," he whispered.

With a shriek of rage I kicked dust up in his disgusting face and managed to extricate myself from his grip. I dashed down the road, kicking up as much dirt and rock as I could, so as to deter him. But for once, he didn't follow me. I was in the school grounds and up the front steps of the building when he called after me.

"Go ahead and run! You ain't seen the last of me Snootystripe!"

Snootystripe; my new nickname.

He continued to bother me for the rest of the day. During the classes, I'd see his bulging yellow eyes peering at me through the windows, making rude faces at me. Once I tried to point him out to my teacher, but the mutant would always duck out of sight whenever someone besides me looked his way. I finally got permission to close the window shades, shutting him out of my sight and thoughts until lunch time.

He nearly drove me crazy then. As my friend Xweethart, a Xweetok like me only colored pink, and I sat under a tree near the edge of the school grounds, the mutant came bounding up to the gate and called, "Hey Snootystripe!"

My body tensed but I pretended not to hear him.

He only called louder, "Ain't you gonna come near me? Ain't I pretty enough? Hey Snootystripe! Who's your girlfriend?"

He rolled around on the grass behind the gate laughing, and pointing at me and Xweethart.

Xweethart looked from the mutant to me, confused, "Uh Bethany, did he just call you Snootystripe?"

"No," I said flatly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah you do. You know I'm talking about that retard over there," Xweethart jerked her thumb towards the parasitic mutant, "Why's he got it in for you?"

"How should I know?" I answered crossly, "All I know is that he decided to pick on me on our way to school this morning!"

"Well you'd better do something about him soon," my friend advised, "His teasing could be contagious."

As it turned out, Xweethart was right. Soon everybody in the school often referred to me as "Snootystripe" and would drop me comments like, "Where's your boyfriend Snootystripe?" and, "Seen your mutant around here Snootystripe?"

It was beyond annoying, beyond teasing. It was humiliating. I didn't think my social life could ever get worse.

The mutant continued to tease and pester me throughout the week. Again and again I stopped myself from pummeling him to a pulp. It wouldn't be that hard; he was a scrawny flea-bag, while I was trained daily to improve strength and stamina. But each time I saw is ratty little face, I was reminded of his disgusting claws and their never-relaxing grip. I wasn't about to let him touch and infect me again.

On Friday, the last day of the school week to my immense relief, the mutant gave me a strange surprise.

Mimi and I were positioned comfortably up in the very tree which Xweethart and I'd sat under the first day I'd met that repulsive mutant. The tree's limbs stretched out over the school gate, and Mimi kept nervously looking down, as if expecting someone.

I bit viciously into my sandwich as I thought of the mutant, as if every bite I took pained him greatly. I couldn't believe all that he'd done to me! I had no idea why he enjoyed making my life so incredibly miserable.

Mimi only gazed at her food without an appetite. She was the only one who'd sit with me now, and it wasn't even that encouraging. I tried not to take my anger out on her, though sometimes it just came out. Yet she stuck with me through it all. My gratitude was meaningful, but deep inside me and couldn't seem to surface. I hadn't once told her my thanks for her presence.

The mutant hadn't shown up all day, and my sour mood that'd claimed me all week was slowly ebbing away. I was just beginning to imagine the glorious benefit of his absence, when Mimi shrieked with fright and clung for dear life to her tree limb, which she'd somehow nearly fallen off of.

"What happened?!" I cried as I helped her back up. Then I looked down and knew the answer.

There he was, hopping up and down with glee as Mimi protectively lifted her tail out of his reach; the mutant.

"Is your cute wittle baby sister afwaid of heights?" he called in a mocking baby voice.

"Go away!" I hissed, throwing my sandwich down at him. It landed with a splat at his feet, making him laugh.

"Don't she need her diaper changed?" he guffawed.

Mimi's face blushed to a deep scarlet and she buried her head in her paws. I was too enraged to speak. With a snarl I scampered along our branch, until I found a good-sized stick among the tangled twigs. I wrenched it from the tree limb and aimed it towards the mutant. I didn't expect to hit him, and he'd probably laugh harder. But that's not what happened.

His malicious grin vanished and his eyes widened. He backed away several steps, "Stop! Don't!" he screeched. And before I could register what had happened, he'd dashed back into the jungle, bald tail between his legs.

I watched him go, dumbfounded. All I'd done was threaten him with a stick. Mimi stared at me in bewilderment, "I guess you've seen the last of him," she remarked.

I had to smile at that. She was right. I wouldn't be bothered by that little rat anymore. Not now that I knew his weakness.

My weekend passed by in peace, and my sour mood left altogether. I didn't see a sign of that rat, not even a glimpse of his bald tail. As next Monday drew nearer however, I began to dread his presence again. What if I hadn't frightened him after all? What if he'd seen something happen that had nothing to do with me, and had just happened to be spooked around the time I'd lifted the stick?

But my fears subsided as the first day of the school week dawned, and my walk down the path was completely free of mutants. He didn't show up at school either, nor during class or recess and lunch. I couldn't believe my turn of luck! I'd finally gotten rid of him!

And then, as school ended and hundreds of students streamed from the building, Xweethart came up by my side and whispered softly, "Looks like he decided to come after all."

I froze and turned slowly to gaze in the direction she was indicating.

The mutant Xweetok that'd so far avoided me in the past few days, long enough to convince me that he was gone for good, was sitting right outside the school gate. My heart sank. Would he ever leave me alone?

And yet as I gazed, something struck me as different. The mutant rat's triumphant and gleeful attitude was gone. He was just sitting there with his back to me, head bent low, tail wrapped around his legs. It looked so depressing, and so out of character, that for the first time I felt a jolt of pity for the little beast. And before I knew what I was doing, I'd stood up and had begun to walk slowly towards him.

He looked up as I neared the gate, and I saw that his face was streaked with tears. My pity increased, and suddenly the thought of touching him, comforting him, didn't seem so horrible.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly.

"Like you'd care," he sniffled.

"But I do," I countered. I did? I cared for this parasite? That didn't seem right, and yet the words had come out.

He gave me a surprised glance, "Why?"

I couldn't answer that.

After a minute, he looked away again, squeezing his bald tail with two grubby paws. I decided to coax something out of him., "What's your name?" I asked, realizing that in all the time I'd known him, I'd never taken the trouble to find out.

"Don't have no name," he muttered, "My owner calls me Rat."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Don't have no kinfolk neither. I just have me. And there ain't nothin special about me."

"You said you had an owner," I pointed out. There was a tightness in my throat that I couldn't explain.

"Owner?" he repeated. He looked back at me, a sudden fierceness in his voice, "What kinda owner leaves me alone and starvin in some old beat up house? What kinda owner is always kickin and shovin me all the time? What kinda owner takes up a stick and beats me, beats me bad anytime he wanna!? You never live through that huh?!"

Rat's voice rose higher and more passionate as he spoke, tears of hate leaking out of his swollen eyes. I let out a restrained sob of my own, and realized that my cheeks were wet, wet with tears.

So I wasn't the only one who hated and was revolted by Rat for who and what he was. His life was full of more misery than I could ever imagine. And I'd made it worse, doing my best to reject him and chase him away. I remembered that time when I'd taken up a stick myself, fully intent on beating him just like his owner would. I shuddered.

"I'm sorry Rat," I said, "I didn't know."

"I don't stand it," Rat said stubbornly, "I runs away, I done and went wild! He won't beat me up no more," then his face fell, "But I'se a scaredy. I done and ran away from you."

"You should've seen it coming," I replied crossly, "Why did you have to pester me like that? Did you seriously think I'd stand it?"

He gave me a sheepish look, "How else is I supposed to get attention then?"

He had a point, "You got attention alright," I grumbled, "You got bad attention."

He scowled and looked down at his claws, "I deserves bad attention," he muttered darkly, "I'se a mutant, a rat."

He gave me a sharp look, "You wanna be near a rat?" he snapped.

"I wouldn't mind," I answered quietly, "I know you're not really a rat."

He stared at me, "I is too!" he shouted, "I ain't never gonna stop being a rat!"

He turned on his heel and began to shuffle away, slapping the ground with his tail. I just heard the words, "I ain't never gonna be starry," issue from his mouth, before he slinked off into the jungle once more.

**Authors Note:** This is a story I wrote for the NT and it was quite a success. Hope you guys are enjoying it. 


	2. In Which I Help A Friend

From Enemy to Brethren

Chapter 2

_In Which I Help A Friend_

On my way home that day, my mind was whirring with confusion.

I never thought I'd have anything but scorn and disgust for Rat. And now all I could think about was how I wished to do something for him. It was plain that it wasn't just the way he'd been treated that bothered him. He was ashamed of his appearance, subdued to think that he deserved "bad attention."

So he didn't think he'd ever be starry. I smiled. I could do something for Rat, something big. Maybe thanks to me, his chances of changing color weren't so slim.

Over the next few weeks, Rat and I grew more and more close. We were becoming friends, the last thing anyone would expect from us.

Now, as Mimi and I headed to school, with Rat trailing behind us, I let him tease me. Every time he leaped for my tail I'd manage to flick it away in the last minute, and he'd go sprawling. I'd give him a wink and swish my tail just in his reach, daring him to leap for it again. He'd grin, and then we'd both laugh and chase each other all the way to school.

When he'd make faces at me through the window during class, I'd make faces back and then resist bursting into laughter.

He stopped jeering during lunch and didn't pull at Mimi's tail. In fact, he'd wait calmly for me until the end of school and then he'd escort me home while we talked. I found myself telling him things I'd never told anyone else, not even my owner. I told him my love for school, and how I wished that my owner would be with us more often. In turn he'd tell me about his life and what he planned to do with it.

"I plan to become an astronaut," he informed me once, careful to keep his grammar correct. I'd recently begun giving him lessons. He was a good learner, though he refused to give up saying "ain't."

"Cool," I said, "You like astronomy?"

"What's that?"

"Never mind. I meant do you like the stars?"

A dreamy look came over his face. I no longer thought any of his expressions disgusting. In fact, I didn't really care at all about his appearance anymore.

"I love the stars," Rat breathed, "Anytime I look at them…"

"Every time," I corrected.

"Right. Every time I look at them, I forget all about being lonely and sad. I feel that if I was up there, instead of down here, nothing would bother me. I spoke okay right?" he added.

I nodded, glad that he could say so much without a single grammar mistake. I now wanted more than ever to help get a starry paintbrush. It'd long been obvious that he'd always wanted one. I already had a hundred and fifty thousand neopoints stored, but I needed three hundred thousand. Could Rat perhaps have some money saved up?

"Rat," I started, "Have you ever thought of buying a paint brush?"

Rat scowled and looked down at his paws, "They don't let me play games," he said darkly, "They say I ain't healthy, and should stay away from the other pets."

I stopped and stared at him, forgetting to correct his grammar for once, "What?! But you're not unhealthy! You're just…different."

He gave me a grin, "I guess I'se…"

"I'm," I interrupted.

Obediently he tried again, "I guess I'm the wrong kind of different."

It was my turn to scowl. How could people be so unfair towards mutants, just because they weren't very attractive?

About a month after our friendship began, I was counting my paintbrush fund in my room on a hot Saturday afternoon. Mimi was playing at day care, while my owner was away from home on business. It was the kind of day that made you tired just by heating up. I thought of Rat, wandering somewhere in the jungle, probably looking for some shade.

I dumped my jar of checks and coins out on the bed. There was so much that it caused a deep depression in the mattress. It took me a full half hour to count it all.

"200,950...200,975... 300,000!" I crowed, letting the coins rain down from my paws and plunk onto my head and arms.

I quickly gathered it all up and ran all the way to the trading post. It took me an hour to finally purchase the brush, haggling and trying to find traders that were ready to trade then and there. But finally, after weeks of saving, I had my starry paintbrush.

I wanted to find Rat that very day and drag him to the Rainbow Pool. But I didn't know where he lived in that vast jungle land, and I wasn't about to lose myself in it looking for him. I'd just have to wait till Monday.

So on Monday morning, when I saw the mutant scramble out from the trees with his usual mischievous grin, (I no longer thought of it as malicious,) I didn't let him tease me, or even let him try.

"Come on let's go!" I said as I took his paw and headed in a direction opposite the school. I needed to reach the docks in thirty minutes if I was to catch the next ferry.

Rat was completely shocked, "What?! But I thought you liked school!" he panted as we dashed by Tiki Tours.

"I do!" I called back, "But there's something more important needing to be done!"

Rat didn't speak up again until the beach was in sight. I only had two minutes to get on board! I began to pick up the pace when Rat suddenly jerked his paw out of my grasp.

"I'm not going," he said clearly and flatly. His grammar wasn't a problem now.

"But this is the last boat for an hour! We have to go!" I said breathlessly, reaching for his paw again.

"No!" Rat shouted.

I stared at him, my trip to Neopia Central temporarily forgotten, "Why?"

His defiance subsided, and all he could do was look down at his feet, "I'm too scared," he mumbled, "I've never left the island before."

"Not ever?" I asked in disbelief.

"No," was the gloomy reply.

I heard the ferryman call out, "All aboard!" and turned to desperately watch the last passenger board. I walked over to Rat and gently took his paw.

"We're leaving together," I said softly, "You won't be alone. I want you to come. You need to come."

When he asked why I only said it was a surprise. He grinned at that, and said, "Let's give it a shot!"

It's a miracle that we managed to catch the boat. We practically had to leap on board, and it was only under my insistence that the ferryman let Rat stay. I brought my companion to the edge of the ferry and showed him the land beyond and the sea below. I really shouldn't have done that, because from then on Rat's expression was rather green and he kept moaning about the waves.

He was very glad to reach Neopia Central at last, and asked whether or not we could travel by different means of transport on the way back. But I didn't take time to answer. I was too eager to reach the Rainbow Pool.

Unfortunately, Rat was just as eager to go sight-seeing, "I want to see everything!" he proclaimed excitedly.

"Fine!" I agreed impatiently, "We'll see the Rainbow Pool first."

"What's that?"

"You'll see in a minute."

We finally reached the plaza, and were soon bounding across the meadow to a landmark I'd been to once before; a glistening pool with a faint rainbow arching into it.

"Wow," Rat murmured, awestruck.

"You still don't know the best of it," I hinted with a smile, "Let's get a closer look."

I led him to the edge of the pool and urged him to look into it. As he gazed at his reflection, I quietly pulled the starry paintbrush from my school bag.

Rat was scowling at the pool, "I'm so hideous," he said with a shudder.

I couldn't hold back my excitement any longer, "Not for long!" I cried and then I gave his back a swift stroke with the brush, feeling it evaporate from my paw almost at once. Before Rat could ask what had happened, I shoved him hard and he fell with a yelp into the pool.

Bubbles surfaced where he'd fallen in, and for a split second my vision was blinded by a blue and yellow flash! When I at last lowered my arms to see again, I saw Rat standing in the pool before me. At least, I saw a Xweetok.

The Xweetok's shining blue coat was splashed with yellow stars, and his stripe was a brilliant gold. Stars seemed to shine in his eyes as he looked at me. I couldn't believe that this was Rat staring at me. And yet…

"Rat?" I asked hesitantly.

The Xweetok gave me a cocky grin that I knew too well. With a laugh I pulled him out of the pool, and we scrambled about in the grass for the next few minutes. Rat began to talk even as we played.

"How…did…you manage…to…get…the brush?" he panted between struggles.

I extricated myself from the tussle and lay breathing hard on the grass beside him, "I just worked really hard," I explained, "It took me weeks you know. I've been working ever since…since…"

"Since I shaped up?" Rat prompted.

"Yeah pretty much," I answered with a smile.

We were silent for a moment, with me still trying to absorb this new Rat. He looked so different, so completely unrecognizable. Rat meanwhile seemed to be thinking.

"It won't be the same, living on my own now," he said quietly, "Now that I fit in, I don't really want to stay out of things."

"But you have no owner," I said, pointing out the obvious.

"I probably have to go to the pound," Rat mumbled.

"No you don't!" I said fiercely, "I won't let you!"

He stared at me, and it took me a second to register him as Rat, "You mean…" he started.

"Yes!" I said defiantly, "I want…I want you…" why was it so hard to admit it?

"You want me to be with you?" Rat asked. His voice was full of hope.

I looked at him, "Rat," I laughed, "I never thought I'd have you for a brother!"

My owner was certainly surprised to see not one, but two Xweetoks come prancing up her walkway.

"Well Bethany, this is certainly a surprise."

"Mom," I proclaimed proudly, "This is…"

"Seth," Rat interrupted.

I gave him a confused look, "Seth?" I repeated.

He nodded, "I've always liked that name, and I think it fits."

I grinned. He was right. It did fit his new flashy look.

"Nice to meet you Seth," my owner greeted warmly, "Are you here to stay for long?"

"Well," Seth began shyly, "I don't really have anywhere else to stay."

"What about your owner?"

"I don't have one."

"So I thought we could take him in," I blurted.

My owner's eyes widened but she didn't say anything. She only looked from Seth to me, and from me to Seth. Then a slow smile spread over her lips, and my heart soared.

"Welcome to the family Seth," she said.

And that's how Seth the starry Xweetok, once my arch enemy, then my best friend, became my loving brother.


End file.
